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The Gargoyle has been skulking around the halls of the Ottawa courthouse as the Mike Duffy trial begins. Here’s some of what we saw and heard on Day One:
Press gang
Weeks of careful preparation and hours of tedious waiting for journalists almost went out the window Tuesday morning, thanks to a brief moment of confusion.
To ensure as many news media outlets as possible would have a chance to follow suspended Sen. Mike Duffy’s trial, it was agreed that 20 of 60 seats in courtroom 33 would be reserved for journalists. The rest would be given to members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Since more than 20 journalists wanted access to that courtroom, a number of media outlets had people lining up in the wee hours before the courthouse opened, to snag a wristband giving the bearer one of the 40 public seats.
But these best-laid plans almost crashed when a court worker told several journalists who’d been waiting outside for hours that they would not be allowed a wristband. Instead, they would have to sit in a nearby room and watch the proceedings by video.
Needless to say, the early risers in the press corps weren’t exactly happy. But the standoff was quickly defused and the journalists allowed admittance. And, as it turned out, there were even some wristbands left over for latecomers – public or press.
Turning off the mike
Duffy himself arrived at the courthouse shortly before 10 a.m., accompanied by his lawyer, Donald Bayne. The two waded slowly through a massive, cumbersome crowd of camera crews and reporters trying in vain to get him to answer questions.
At one point, Duffy paused to suggest to Bayne that perhaps they should make a public statement. “Let the guys get set up here,” he suggested, indicating a spot for the cameras near the courthouse entrance.
“No, no, no, Mike, we’re going into court,” Bayne replied firmly. Then, to the mass of journalists, he said: “What we have to say, we will say in the courtroom, period.”
Atypical for the normally outgoing Duffy, he maintained silence for the remainder of the short walk.
Doughnuts for Duffy
Meanwhile, Ann Chambers, who has worked at the small Tim Hortons on the first floor of the courthouse for a year, said staff were told that they could expect a hefty increase in customers on Tuesday. In addition to the Duffy trial, she said, there was jury selection happening for another big trial.
“Our baker was in at 5 a.m.,” Chambers said.
Early Tuesday, there weren’t quite as many people lined up for coffee as predicted. But Duffy’s trial will take 41 days, and even with extra staff, they can still only serve one person at a time, Chambers said, smiling.
No word on whether there will be a special Duffy doughnut.
McMaher’s fan
Long before the Duffy trial began, defence lawyer Bayne had issued subpoenas for Ottawa Citizen reporter Glen McGregor and National Post reporter Stephen Maher, which essentially allows him to call them as witnesses to talk about articles they wrote on Duffy’s expenses.
Those subpoenas were briefly discussed on the opening day of the trial. And although McGregor was the first reporter to raise specific – and awkward – questions about Duffy’s housing claims, in December 2012, Bayne nonetheless referred in court Tuesday to the scribes’ “excellent journalism” on the case.
Bayne added that the likelihood of McGregor or Maher actually being called to testify was slim. Neither is covering the trial.
Also absent
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, said he won’t be a witness at the trial and was not worried that Tory “insiders” appearing in court could possibly implicate him.
“The answer, of course, is no,” said Harper. “As you know, investigators looked at this and affirmed what I said. I have no knowledge of these things. I will not be called as a witness.
“We have offered the Crown every possible assistance in their case against Mr. Duffy. We’ll continue to do so. Obviously, beyond that, this matter is before the courts and I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the proceedings.”
Jury duty?
Madeleine Cummings likes a good trial but was one of the few people at the Ottawa courthouse Tuesday who has no interest in Duffy.
“I like trials with juries,” explained the 89-year-old, who is a regular at the Ottawa courthouse, choosing her cases carefully. “I like to try and figure out the case and see what the jury says at the end.”
Cummings, who is in the midst of a long-running murder trial in Courtroom 34 next door to Duffy, has been attending trials for 30 years. “I needed something to do when I retired,” she said.
And Cummings knows that when it comes to courtroom drama, art cannot truly imitate real life. “I don’t watch TV dramas,” she said. “I read a lot and watch the news and some game shows.”
Cummings might be the best-qualified criminal court juror in the National Capital Region but to her great regret, she has never been called.
“There are two things I have always wanted,” she added. “To be on a jury, and to visit the cells (in the courthouse) basement. But I guess I’d need to be arrested.”
Meanwhile, in other news
Some other trials are also entering crucial phases, even if all eyes are on the Duffy case.
Barely 30 metres to the west of Duffy’s courtroom, for instance, it was Day 78 in a proceeding over alleged bid-rigging that has stretched on for seven months. There, nine ordinary defendants – unrecognizable on Parliament Hill – have been presenting final arguments to a jury of 13.
Excluding the legal community, the audience in Judge Bonnie Warkentin’s courtroom was 10 on Tuesday morning – higher than usual. Duffy’s courtroom, of course, was packed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Judge Warkentin’s courtroom, an overflow room housed dozens more journalists and members of the public who wanted to follow the Duffy trial remotely.
– With files from Lee Berthiaume, Emma Loop, James Bagnall, Chris Cobb and Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen.
查看原文...
Press gang
Weeks of careful preparation and hours of tedious waiting for journalists almost went out the window Tuesday morning, thanks to a brief moment of confusion.
To ensure as many news media outlets as possible would have a chance to follow suspended Sen. Mike Duffy’s trial, it was agreed that 20 of 60 seats in courtroom 33 would be reserved for journalists. The rest would be given to members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Since more than 20 journalists wanted access to that courtroom, a number of media outlets had people lining up in the wee hours before the courthouse opened, to snag a wristband giving the bearer one of the 40 public seats.
But these best-laid plans almost crashed when a court worker told several journalists who’d been waiting outside for hours that they would not be allowed a wristband. Instead, they would have to sit in a nearby room and watch the proceedings by video.
Needless to say, the early risers in the press corps weren’t exactly happy. But the standoff was quickly defused and the journalists allowed admittance. And, as it turned out, there were even some wristbands left over for latecomers – public or press.
Turning off the mike
Duffy himself arrived at the courthouse shortly before 10 a.m., accompanied by his lawyer, Donald Bayne. The two waded slowly through a massive, cumbersome crowd of camera crews and reporters trying in vain to get him to answer questions.
At one point, Duffy paused to suggest to Bayne that perhaps they should make a public statement. “Let the guys get set up here,” he suggested, indicating a spot for the cameras near the courthouse entrance.
“No, no, no, Mike, we’re going into court,” Bayne replied firmly. Then, to the mass of journalists, he said: “What we have to say, we will say in the courtroom, period.”
Atypical for the normally outgoing Duffy, he maintained silence for the remainder of the short walk.
Doughnuts for Duffy
Meanwhile, Ann Chambers, who has worked at the small Tim Hortons on the first floor of the courthouse for a year, said staff were told that they could expect a hefty increase in customers on Tuesday. In addition to the Duffy trial, she said, there was jury selection happening for another big trial.
“Our baker was in at 5 a.m.,” Chambers said.
Early Tuesday, there weren’t quite as many people lined up for coffee as predicted. But Duffy’s trial will take 41 days, and even with extra staff, they can still only serve one person at a time, Chambers said, smiling.
No word on whether there will be a special Duffy doughnut.
McMaher’s fan
Long before the Duffy trial began, defence lawyer Bayne had issued subpoenas for Ottawa Citizen reporter Glen McGregor and National Post reporter Stephen Maher, which essentially allows him to call them as witnesses to talk about articles they wrote on Duffy’s expenses.
Those subpoenas were briefly discussed on the opening day of the trial. And although McGregor was the first reporter to raise specific – and awkward – questions about Duffy’s housing claims, in December 2012, Bayne nonetheless referred in court Tuesday to the scribes’ “excellent journalism” on the case.
Bayne added that the likelihood of McGregor or Maher actually being called to testify was slim. Neither is covering the trial.
Also absent
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, said he won’t be a witness at the trial and was not worried that Tory “insiders” appearing in court could possibly implicate him.
“The answer, of course, is no,” said Harper. “As you know, investigators looked at this and affirmed what I said. I have no knowledge of these things. I will not be called as a witness.
“We have offered the Crown every possible assistance in their case against Mr. Duffy. We’ll continue to do so. Obviously, beyond that, this matter is before the courts and I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the proceedings.”
Jury duty?
Madeleine Cummings likes a good trial but was one of the few people at the Ottawa courthouse Tuesday who has no interest in Duffy.
“I like trials with juries,” explained the 89-year-old, who is a regular at the Ottawa courthouse, choosing her cases carefully. “I like to try and figure out the case and see what the jury says at the end.”
Cummings, who is in the midst of a long-running murder trial in Courtroom 34 next door to Duffy, has been attending trials for 30 years. “I needed something to do when I retired,” she said.
And Cummings knows that when it comes to courtroom drama, art cannot truly imitate real life. “I don’t watch TV dramas,” she said. “I read a lot and watch the news and some game shows.”
Cummings might be the best-qualified criminal court juror in the National Capital Region but to her great regret, she has never been called.
“There are two things I have always wanted,” she added. “To be on a jury, and to visit the cells (in the courthouse) basement. But I guess I’d need to be arrested.”
Meanwhile, in other news
Some other trials are also entering crucial phases, even if all eyes are on the Duffy case.
Barely 30 metres to the west of Duffy’s courtroom, for instance, it was Day 78 in a proceeding over alleged bid-rigging that has stretched on for seven months. There, nine ordinary defendants – unrecognizable on Parliament Hill – have been presenting final arguments to a jury of 13.
Excluding the legal community, the audience in Judge Bonnie Warkentin’s courtroom was 10 on Tuesday morning – higher than usual. Duffy’s courtroom, of course, was packed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Judge Warkentin’s courtroom, an overflow room housed dozens more journalists and members of the public who wanted to follow the Duffy trial remotely.
– With files from Lee Berthiaume, Emma Loop, James Bagnall, Chris Cobb and Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen.
查看原文...
